Ephedra torreyana |
Ephedra antisyphilitica |
|
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Mormon-tea, Torrey's Ephedra, Torrey's joint fir |
clap-weed, erect Ephedra, popote, tepopote, vine Ephedra |
|
Habit | Shrubs erect, 0.25–1 m. Bark gray, cracked and irregularly fissured. | Shrubs erect or spreading, 0.25–1 m. Bark gray, slightly cracked and irregularly fissured. |
Branches | alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°. |
alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°. |
Twigs | blue-green, becoming gray with age, glaucous, with numerous very fine longitudinal grooves; internodes 2–5 cm. |
green, becoming yellow-green with age, glaucous, not viscid, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 2–5 cm. |
Leaves | in whorls of 3, 2–5 mm, connate to 2/3 their length; bases becoming gray and shredded with age; apex acute. |
opposite, 1–3 mm, connate to 2/3–7/8 their length; bases thickened, brown, completely deciduous; apex obtuse. |
Pollen cones | 1–4 at node, ovoid, 6–8 mm, sessile; bracts in 6–9 whorls of 3, cream to pale yellow, ovate, slightly clawed, 2–4 × 2–4 mm, membranous; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 2–4 mm, exserted to 1/2 their length, with 5–8 sessile to short-stalked microsporangia. |
1–2 at node, lance-ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, sessile to nearly sessile; bracts opposite, 5–8 pairs, pale green to red, obovate, 2–4 × 2–3 mm, membranous, connate at base; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 4–5 mm, 1/2 exserted, with 4–6 sessile to very short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. |
Seed(s) | cones 1–several at node, ovoid, 9–15 mm, sessile; bracts in 5 or 6 whorls of 3, obovate, 6–9 × 6–10 mm, papery, translucent with orange-yellow to greenish yellow center and base, base clawed, margins minutely dentate, undulate. |
cones 1–2 at node, ellipsoid, 6–12 mm, sessile to nearly sessile; bracts opposite, 4–6 pairs, ovate, 5–7 × 5–10 mm, connate to 1/8–7/8 their length, inner pairs becoming fleshy and red. |
Terminal | buds conic, less than 4 mm. |
buds conic, 1–3 mm, apex obtuse. |
Ephedra torreyana |
Ephedra antisyphilitica |
|
Phenology | Coning spring. | Coning March–April. |
Habitat | Dry rocky to sandy areas | Arid soils and rocky slopes |
Elevation | 500–2000 m (1600–6600 ft) | 100–1200 m (300–3900 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico in Chihuahua
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OK; TX; Mexico in Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí
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Discussion | Ephedra torreyana is known to form hybrids with two other species of Ephedra as reported and described by H. C. Cutler (1939). The first of these is E. × intermixta Cutler, the hybrid between E. torreyana and E. trifurca. This hybrid occurs in a small area of southwestern New Mexico (near Engle, Sierra County) within the zone of sympatry of the two parental species; it may be fertile (mature seeds are formed). It is intermediate in most characters but can be identified by its combination of the spinelike terminal buds of E. trifurca and the scabrous, light yellow seeds of E. torreyana. The second hybrid is Ephedra × arenicola Cutler, the hybrid between E. torreyana and E. cutleri. This hybrid is known only from the type locality in extreme northeastern Arizona (near Dennehotso, Apache County) in an area of sympatry of the parental species. This hybrid is intermediate in most characters, but it can be distinguished by its combination of the setaceous leaves, viscid stems, and long-pedunculate seed cones of E. cutleri with the persistent, whorled leaves of E. torreyana. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Mexican populations of Ephedra antisyphilitica are disjunct from those in Texas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 2. | FNA vol. 2. |
Parent taxa | Ephedraceae > Ephedra | Ephedraceae > Ephedra |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. antisyphilitica var. brachycarpa, E. occidentalis, E. texana | |
Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 299. (1879) | Berlandier ex C. A. Meyer |
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